This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing spin polarized thermonuclear fuels and, in particular, to spin polarized hydrogen isotopes.
Recent theoretical work published by R. M. Kulsrud et al, Phys. Rev. Lett 49 1248 (1982), indicates that highly spin polarized deuterons and tritons, which are mass 2 and mass 3 isotopes, respectively, of hydrogen, have highly advantageous properties as fuels for use in thermonuclear reactions when compared to more conventional non-polarized fuels. The advantages associated with these spin polarized fuels include increased reaction cross sections which lead to higher energy yields. Furthermore, the angular distribution of the emitted energetic neutrons are restricted thereby removing or greatly simplifying many of the problems ordinarily associated with magnetic and inertial confinement reactors. Some of the concepts that contribute to the present method of producing these spin polarized fuels in a form whereby they can be used practically as a reactor fuel and/or highly polarized beams have been developed over a period of years as a result of a good deal of work mostly carried out at Syracuse University located at Syracuse, New York. Representative publications describing this previous work are: A. Honig, Phys. Rev. Lett 19 1009 (1967); R. S. Rubins et al, Phys Rev. 169, 299 (1968); A. Honig, Proc II Internat. Conf. on Polarized Targets, Berkley (1971) p. 99; H. Mano et al, Nuc Instrum and Methods 124, 1 (1975); A. Honig and H. Mano, Phys. Rev. 14 1858 (1976); A. Honig, Proc of Symposium on Experiments Using Enriched Antiprotons, Polarized Proton and Polarized Antiproton Beams at Fermilab Energies, Argonne Nat. Lab. (1977) p. 186 (ANL-HEC-CP-77-45). The prior art is principally concerned with producing polarized H, for high energy targets.
The principal thrust of these current disclosures is for producing polarized D and T, the main thermonuclear fuels, with polarized H essentially incidental. It is of primary importance not only for the nuclei to be produced in the polarized state but for them to remain polarized at temperatures above about 1.degree. K. and in moderate magnetic fields, where they can be easily manipulated and used in modes and configurations that have already been described for non-polarized hydrogen isotope fuels. In this regard some configurations and modes in which the present invention is usable are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,624,239 to Frass; 3,953,617 to Smith et al; 4,017,578 to Jarboe et al; and 4,154,868 to Woerner. These patents primarily deal with singly injected frozen fuel pellets, encapsulated thermonuclear fuel particles, continually spun solid deuterium (D.sub.2) pellets and the deposition of frozen deuterium-tritium (D-T) mixtures in microballoons or spheres. As should become evident from the present disclosure, the polarized fuels herein described may be employed in almost any fuel injection technique found in tokamak, tandem mirror, inertial confinement or other known reactor designs.